


Between One Heartbeat and the Next

by sapphicalexandra



Series: Seelie Court Kiss AU [7]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Background Clary Fray/Isabelle Lightwood, Background Clary Fray/Simon Lewis, Episode: s02e20 Beside Still Water, Established Relationship, Fluff, Forbidden Love, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Parabatai, Past Alec Lightwood/Magnus Bane, Sensuality
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-10
Updated: 2017-11-01
Packaged: 2018-12-26 06:02:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12052824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sapphicalexandra/pseuds/sapphicalexandra
Summary: Alternative Post S2 Finale.Jace's death has brought some unexpected consequences that Jace and Alec now have to deal with...





	1. Hopeless

**Author's Note:**

> Companion piece to my other fic 'Oceans Between You and Me'. This is the same Post-Finale scenario, but as set in my Seelie Court Kiss AU, and some passages are therefore repeated, while some canon events are changed. To get the context, you should probably read the other parts of this 'verse, especially 'Where Thou Diest..', where some things are like in 2x20 (for example, Jace's death), but the circumstances are different.  
> Anyway, hope you enjoy!  
> p.s. to my fellas of the jalec chat, don't get discouraged by the first sentence lol

“Can we talk?” Alec asked Magnus abruptly.

He didn’t wait for a response, but went directly out and into the back alley of the Hunter’s Moon. Magnus had followed him, and they stood face to face, regarding each other in what could only be called awkwardness.

Alec sighed. “Listen, I know you probably don’t want to hear it again, but I’m really,  _really_  sorry for lying about the Soul Sword. I never meant to hurt you or any Downworlder…and I realize that I could’ve acted differently to show that.”

Magnus remained silent for what felt like an eternity. Then he cleared his throat and spoke in a somewhat subdued voice, compared to the way it usually exuded confidence, “I know. I know you didn’t mean it like that.”

That wasn’t all that they had to say to each other, was it? Alec wanted to think so, but the protraction of more silence didn’t really work in favor of that. “I just hope that you’ll still be willing to work with me in the future, for the protection of  _both_  our people. But I – I’ll understand if you can’t.”

Magnus had made it clear, when they’d had to use the Allegiance Rune to fend off the demons swarming Alicante, that he was only doing it for the good of his people, and not for him – which was perfectly fine by Alec. But if they wanted for the Downworld Cabinet to continue, they couldn’t stay in the kind of terms they’d been in since Magnus had sided with the Seelie Queen, a fact that had led to Valentine reaching Idris at the detriment of the entire Downworld. Alec had driven him to that, he was painfully aware of it, so he didn’t expect them to ever be  _friends_ , not anymore…but if his plans as Head of the Institute hoped to succeed, Alec didn’t know what else he needed to  _do_  to make up for what he had, or rather,  _hadn’t_  done.

“It’s fine,” Magnus said dryly.

“It’s clearly  _not_  fine…”

“I assure you, it is.” And before Alec could protest any further, he added, “I’ve stopped being in the right the moment I struck that deal with the Seelie Queen.”

Alec was taken aback by the self-loathing he could hear in that statement. “ _You_  were only trying to do what was best for your people – that was all  _my_  fault!”

“Oh…I said that to myself, too. Repeatedly. And for a time, I even believed it." Magnus chuckled mirthlessly, his gaze fixed on the ground.

“What – what do you mean?” Alec asked, more and more confused by the second. “I thought that you–”

“Don’t you  _see_?” Magnus raised his eyes, and a glint of yellow passed through them, “I  _wasn’t_  acting for the sake of my people, I wasn’t disappointed by your lie for  _their_  sake – but for  _mine_! Cause the truth is, I still  _love_  you, and I  _resent_  you…for not feeling the same way about me than  _I_  do about  _you_! I told you I was fine about our break up, but I  _wasn’t,_  and still am  _not_. When I think back to how you kissed _Jace_ instead of me at the Seelie Court, I - that’s why I jumped at the first chance that I got, at the first reason I could find to justify it to myself, to finally act out all this  _anger_  that I have inside and  _hurt_  you just as much as you hurt  _me_!” 

Magnus was breathing hard, as if he had just been running a marathon, and Alec didn’t know what to say, what to think, he opened his mouth to try and  _do_  something…but it was still Magnus who went on, “No, I wasn’t acting out of the  _goodness_  of my heart. I was simply being stubborn and petty as a mule, going on with my quest to avenge my broken heart, calling it  _righteous_  – and I almost ravaged everything in my path.”

“I’m – I’m sure that’s not  _true_! You’re a good person, Magnus.”

“Maybe…but it doesn’t change the  _facts_.” 

Alec felt his eyes burning. All the hours of happiness he had spent with  _someone else_ …he couldn’t help but feel bad at  _whose_  expense that had been. “I – I’m  _sorry_. I know I always say that, but I truly  _am_. I never meant to string you along or – I just wish that I  _could_ –”

“That’s not on you, Alexander. You don’t owe me anything,  _nobody_  owes anybody feelings they don’t have. And _I_  am sorry, too, for everything I did when I couldn’t accept that.”

Alec powered through the constriction in his throat, “There must be  _something_  that I can do to ease your pain or...”

Magnus’s smile didn’t light up his eyes. “Just be happy. Live your life to the fullest. That’s all anyone can do.”

“What about you?” Alec had to ask. “You deserve to be happy, too. I’m sure there’s someone out there, who will love you just the way you deserve to be loved...”

“Maybe. But for now, it’ll have to be me. Goodbye, Alexander.”

“...Goodbye, Magnus.”

And Alec reentered the Hunter’s Moon, as Magnus went the other way.

It wasn’t fair – how it had turned out, what he had  _done_  to him, Alec mused over the loud music that invaded his earbuds as soon as he opened the back door. Even if he hadn’t  _meant_  it, his path was riddled with people he had inadvertently hurt, or  _worse_  – Jocelyn Fairchild, Max, Magnus… To get where he was now, he had left too many bodies behind. Even if one of them was also  _Valentine_ , it didn’t change the fact that no peace, no party - for how earned and enjoyable - could truly fix everything that was broken along the way, and he would never let himself forget that.

Still, despite that awareness, despite the guilt he felt over having romantically failed someone so  _severely,_ as he scanned the crowd, putting on his widest smile when he passed people he knew – no reason to bring the harsh reality into that merriment, at least for that one night –  he couldn’t help but be looking for  _one_  person, and one person only…and not regret it in the slightest. He was on the contrary  _yearning_  for it, or the night wouldn’t be a true celebration.

Recognizing a redhead, he approached Clary, only to notice that she was dancing with both Izzy and Maia. They all seemed to be having a great time, and his smile was genuine when he addressed them, “Hey.”

“Yo, big bro!” Izzy, clearly far-gone drunk, was holding her stomach, half-doubled over as she laughed over something he hadn’t heard. “Join the fun!”

“I think I’ll pass, no offence,” he shot back, glancing at Maia bemusedly, at which she shook her head. He then asked Clary, “Have you seen Jace?”

She was laughing too, but sobered up enough to answer him, “Oh, he was at the bar a minute ago…” They both looked that way, but there was no sign of him there. “He must’ve gone out.”

“Yeah, I’ll find him, thanks anyway,” he told her, adding more quietly, “Hey, can you...keep an eye on Izzy?” They sneaked a glance at the girl in question, who was leaning heavily on Maia, still laughing uncontrollably. “I think this is her way of…you know, drowning the pain…” Alec swallowed down thoughts of Max, “and I just want to make sure she gets home safely.”

Clary smiled understandingly. “Of  _course_. I’ll get her to have some fun, then I’ll bring her home. You know I’d protect her with my life.”

Alec nodded, thanking her, but he had to do a mental double-take as he noticed that Clary, in light of her words, was staring at Izzy with what could be only described as a soft look. “Ehm, where’s - Simon?” Alec asked her, arching an eyebrow.

Clary nonchalantly looked back at him. “Oh, he went back home…he was feeling tired, and I don’t blame him.”

“Yeah. I guess I’ll go, then.” He bid them all goodnight, not before placing a kiss on his sister’s head, which she took as being even more hilarious than what she was previously laughing at. “Careful how you walk, with those heels.”

“I take offence to that!” But Izzy still stumbled, pummeling right into Clary’s arms.

“C’mon, silly, let’s get you out of here,” Clary told her fondly, catching her, a crinkle in her nose.

 Shaking his head, Alec left the merry scene with a lighter feeling.

A feeling that was crushed into a million pieces once he saw the scene happening outside of the bar.

“Jace!”

Jace was crouched on the ground, his whole body and face contorted in pain, as he coughed and spluttered and struggled to breath. Feeling as if he had just received a punch in the gut, Alec rushed to him, kneeling in front of him as he debated whether to touch him, or if that would only worsen his condition… “Hey, hey, Jace, it’s me, I’m here.” 

Jace raised his head slightly, but his blood-shot eyes didn’t seem to really take him in. Still, Jace’s arms shot up to grip Alec’s shirt, as he let his head fall heavily onto Alec’s chest. His question answered, Alec wasted no more time in circling his parabatai's shoulder, holding him in his arms as Jace’s body shook and Jace’s hands tightened their grip to the point of tearing the fabric of the shirt. The only words Jace managed to say were, “I don’t know, I don’t know what is happening, I don’t know…”

“It’s okay, it’s gonna be okay.  _Breathe_ , just breathe, I’ve got you…”

Alec couldn’t tell how much time passed, but eventually Jace’s breathing did slow down, his grip loosened, his body relaxed, and he collapsed against Alec, completely spent. Alec kept holding him, reluctant to let him go even after Jace recovered well enough to break apart and look him in the eyes.

They stared at each other, purposefully syncing their breaths together, as Alec took Jace’s face in between his hands, caressing it, studying it – the dampness on his cheeks, the circle under his eyes, the phantom pain and utter  _shock_  in them – all the while  _trying_  to ebb away the panic in his,  _both_  their bones.

“When did this…start?” Alec finally asked.

“Neve– it’s never happened before,” Jace croaked out. “I was feeling weird, and I went out to get some fresh air, but then I started feeling this, I don’t  _know_ , rush of  _something,_  and suddenly it took ahold me. I don’t– Alec, I don’t  _know_.”

A dull ringing pressing into his ears, Alec tried to convey, looking into Jace’s eyes, a confidence he didn’t have, but that they both needed in that moment.

“We’ll figure this out,” he stated, firmly. He caught a tear at the corner of Jace’s half-brown eye. Then he added more quietly, “We’ll figure this out.”

* * *

 

They made the journey back to the Institute in silence, both too stunned to say anything. Jace couldn’t talk past the knot in his throat; Alec probably didn’t want to upset him any further.

When they reached Jace’s room, mindful of the rotation of the camera in the corner, the only thing Jace had the energy to do was fall heavily on his bed. Elbows on his knees, he put his face in his hands.

Alec was crouching in front of him a moment later, a hand tentatively caressing his wrist. “Talk to me, Jace.”

He couldn’t handle Alec’s gentle voice, or the soft way he was looking at him…so Jace got up abruptly, going to pace around the room as he shouted, “What is there to  _say_?! I knew it, I  _should’ve_  known, that you don’t bring people back from the dead without consequences! You just  _don’t_!” Hands in his hair, he rounded on Alec, who had gotten up as well, “It’s just…we should’ve expected something like this.”

“Not necessarily!” Alec retorted. “This was a wish granted by the  _Angel_  himself…there was no reason to think… We don’t  _know_  what this is, or if it has anything to do with – okay, it’s a fair guess, but we can’t fall into a panic and expect the worst from the start, without researching first!”

Jace snorted. “And _what_? What other thing could it  _possibly_  be? Let’s face it, Alec, not even the Angel must have the power to bring someone back from the dead indefinitely, or without some sort of  _catch_  to the kind of life–”

“We don’t know that, Jace, we don’t  _know_  that,” Alec almost pleaded, covering the room in only a few strides to get in front of him. He took his hands, and Jace almost didn’t let him, but at the first touch he didn’t want him to ever let go. Alec took a deep breath. “Okay, there’s no point in me now telling you that you don’t need to worry, or that I’m sure you’ll be okay and won’t –  _die_  again or something…” Alec’s voice broke, but he pressed on, “What I  _will_  tell you is that you –  _we_  – can’t be consumed by this. What have we been saying? We’ll live our lives to the fullest, we can’t know when things go bad either way, we just need to make the most out of what we  _have_.”

“And what do I  _have_? Convulsions, a tendency for pain, a probably doomed existence?” That wasn’t fair to Alec, who was only trying to cheer him up, and Jace disliked himself beyond  _words_  when he became a pathetic tangle of self-pity, but he still couldn’t get  _rid_  of feeling that way.

“You have  _me_ , for what it’s worth,” Alec said in a small voice.

Jace gripped Alec’s hands back, almost getting angry at Alec’s hesitation. “Of course, you’re worth  _everything_  to me! That’s why I don’t want _you_ to suffer even more because of me…you don’t deserve that.”

“And howdoes that have anything to do with _me_? _Wait_ , let me guess, you want to distance yourself from me, so if something really happened to you, you think I’d suffer  _less_? You should know better by now.”

Jace clenched his jaw, a protest mounting in him...but he had to sigh in defeat, lowering his gaze. No, that wasn’t feasible. Alec  _was_  all he had, and all he wanted _– needed_ by his side, forever. He could never distance himself from him. Yet…

_How long do I have?_

That question seemed to have been  _printed_  on the back of his mind.

Shadowhunters were  _raised_  to expect death at any moment, and to embrace it.  _He_  more than anyone had been willing to lay down his life for the right cause. But like  _this_? A betrayal, a defeat, a divine intervention by someone else’s request...would be what caused his downfall? There wasn’t anything  _honorable_  about that, it wouldn’t have a  _purpose_ or benefit  _anyone_. It just sucked. That’s why that question couldn’t help but bring only agony with it; there was no  _acceptance_  or resignation in the way his limbs trembled under that weight. And  _Alec_  – he would bring Alec down with him, there was no escaping it.

“Hey, look at me.” Jace didn’t want to, but he could never say no to Alec,  _especially_  when he asked of him something in that way – not demanding, only  _loving_. Thus, he raised his head to stare into hazel eyes. “Let’s focus on what  _matters_. You’re alive, right now.”

Jace exhaled slowly. “Yeah. For now.”

“No. Not ‘for now’.  _Right_  now.”

“I know, I know…”

“ _And_  right now.”

A pause. A heartbeat.

“And now  _again_. You’re still alive.”

Another pause. Alec placed their joined hands on Jace’s heart, which skipped a bit, then resumed his steady beating.

“Right  _now,_  again. And guess what? You’re  _still_  alive. Can you feel it?”

Jace held his breath, transfixed, then nodded.

Alec leaned forward until their foreheads were touching. “Are you still alive?”

And Jace couldn’t contain a smile any longer, as well as the bubble of poor  _light_  rising in his chest. “Maybe.”

Alec chuckled. The way he kissed him then was feather-like, his lips barely brushing against Jace's, but Jace felt it all the way to his toes.

“What about now?” Alec was whispering now.

“Mmmh…I might need another reminder, just to be sure,” Jace whispered back. He had never been more serious in his life.

Alec kissed him again, and this time Jace felt it far beyond his toes. His own self seemed to have  _expanded;_  to the ground, to the air around them, to Alec himself. They were in a bubble, and nothing from the outside world could pierce it. Jace  _forgot_  about anything else.

He didn’t know how Alec always managed to know exactly what he needed, and what he needed to  _do_ , to take him out of his shell. Reminding him that his every heartbeat meant that, in that  _moment_ , he was  _alive_ , and he would be until the  _next_  moment, and the  _next_ , and that  _that_  needed to be cherished…wasn’t something that he would’ve thought of on his own, or that it would’ve worked if he were on his own. Jace was forever thankful for Alec.

Jace’s hands sprung free from Alec's hold on their own accord, and they started tracing everything they found in their path. They needed to touch, to  _feel_. Be it the patch of skin under Alec’s torn shirt, or the toned muscles of his arms as Jace shrugged Alec’s jacket off of him, or the curves of his sides as he rose the shirt over Alec’s head, removing it. Alec’s skin lit up under his palms, and Jace just  _had_  to replace them with his mouth. He pressed his parted lips on the juncture at the base of Alec’s neck, on his collarbone, his chest, so that he could breathe the scent of him  _in_.

Alec had his arms around him, his mouth tracing the side of Jace's head in a timeless caress, until he drew back and pulled Jace's chin up, to capture Jace’s mouth with his once again, exploring the depth of it with his tongue. Jace was vaguely aware that his own shirt was removed as well shortly after, and he was now circling Alec’s neck to have him be that  _much_  closer to him, so that their skins were next to each other, heartbeat against heartbeat.

Alec’s arms were holding him tighter now, and Alec was so determined about it that Jace found himself be raised from the ground all of a sudden. Taken aback, he quickly recovered by wrapping his legs around Alec, laughing against his lips.

“You calling me short?” 

Jace could feel the curve of Alec’s mouth. “Yeah.”

Being held like that, however, was anything but amusing. Jace didn’t know if it was the closeness, or the fact that he was completely, literally, in Alec’s hands now…but he was overwhelmed by it, at how he felt safer than he’d ever been. Upon realizing that, Jace could only bury his face against Alec’s neck, while they stayed in that position, hugging each other, for a blissful, unmeasurable moment.

The kiss that came after had a new purpose, new awareness to it, and they fell onto the bed still not having parted from it.

When they  _had_  to part to catch their breath, Alec didn’t stop there, but started kissing every inch of Jace’s face with a kind of franticness to it that made Jace’s heart clench and beat more rapidly at the same time. When he realized Alec was now kissing away tears that were falling from his eyes, Jace  _shouldn’t_  have been surprised, but he still was.

“Who cries while making love now?” Alec teased him good-naturedly, but his voice was hoarse.

Jace snorted, blinking away more treacherous tears. “Still  _you_.”

“That was  _one_  time…”

“ _Three_  times.”

“Shut up.”

“Make me.”

But there was no bite or playfulness to how their lips collided once more...only desperation.

After, when they were cuddled up on the bed, tears were still hard to keep at bay. Alec held him from behind, but Jace had to turn around, the face in front of him the only thing that could give him some form of solace. He brought a hand up, to draw the line of Alec’s jaw with his finger - the solidness and immutability of his parabatai the only thing he could ever count on. Alec in turn circled his shoulders, and snuggled closer to him. Surrounded by his warmth and scent, Jace managed to fall asleep.

* * *

 

Alec refused to sleep. He didn’t dare close his eyes. If he did that, the face in front of him, tense even in sleep, would disappear, and he couldn’t let that happen. He didn’t want to think about  _why_  he felt the need to drink it in ( _until he could_ ), but the reason was there, swimming behind his eyelids. If he delved into it, he wouldn’t be able to stay calm enough to not wake Jace up.

_You don’t bring people back from the dead without consequences! You just don’t!_

For how much he had wanted to ease Jace’s worry, keep his mind away from thoughts of those exact consequences, Alec’s platitudes couldn’t work on himself too. He  _dreaded_  every second that went by that brought him closer and closer to a world without Jace.

 _That’s just how life_ _is, so listen to your own advice and appreciate every heartbeat._  

But no matter how much he told himself that, there was no denying that Jace’s death had literally  _broken_  something in him, and a prospect of things only getting worse…wasn’t pleasant. So maybe, if he didn’t lose Jace from his sight, or if he kept him as close to himself as he could, he wouldn't be taken away from him...

Alec  _knew_  that he was being irrational, and that his stubbornness wouldn’t really do anything to change any event that wanted to happen - still, he’d rather die than  _not_  do it.

That was why, when Jace’s body became as taut as a bow string, Alec felt it straight away. He drew back his arms just in time, right before Jace gasped and bolted upright, his face morphed in a not-so-silent scream as he clawed at the sheets.

And Alec could only bring him to lay against his chest, not minding it in the slightest when Jace started clawing at the skin of  _his_  arms, drawing blood, since the  _real_  bleeding was going on inside of him ( _that was not a one-time thing, this is real, this is_ bad _, I don’t know what to do_ ,  _I can’t lose him again_ …). Jace would be stricken once he came to his senses again, but there was no way in hell Alec would let him deal with this alone. Being his anchor was only the  _least_  he could do, that pain being nothing compared to what Jace was going through; if he could’ve  _transferred_  all of Jace’s pain to himself, as a matter of fact, he  _would’ve_.

Jace did come to his senses eventually, breathing unsteadily as he took in his bloodied hands and the mess on Alec’s arms. Alec didn’t let him utter even one word, he simply led them both to the bathroom, picking up his stele first. Jace insisted to heal him, and Alec didn’t protest too much about it. He could’ve sworn he never felt those scratches.

What he  _did_  feel was Jace’s unsteadiness, and the way Jace was rattled out of his mind even though he tried to mask it. Alec wasn’t faring much better; he felt entirely  _useless_  in front of that impossible situation. Nothing he could say to Jace would  _matter_  in the face of an unknowable agony that had  _plunged_  on him –  _them –_  to lead them into chaos, as if it was punishing them for…no, that couldn’t be, right? The fact that they were breaking one of the most sacred laws couldn’t have anything to do with…it had only affected  _Jace_...

_No, everything that affects him affects me._

Alec’s head was positively going to  _explode_. Only the fastness with which he switched it  _off_  was able to prevent that, letting him take care of Jace, clean him up, draw him back to the bed, and finally fall on it with not a single thought in his mind.

The way he clung to Jace, hugging him from behind, burying his face against the back of his neck...he couldn’t say was only for Jace’s benefit. Jace brought a hand back to pass it through his hair, and Alec sighed at the sensation. 

“Promise me,” Jace said then, “promise me you’ll live on, if something happens to me.”

Alec froze…then he deleted from his mind everything that he had just heard, pressing his face even further against Jace’s skin, kissing every spot he could reach. “Shut up, shut up, go to sleep. You’re not dying. You’re  _not_.”

For he didn’t know what miracle, Jace didn’t say anything else. He simply interlocked their hands together.

 


	2. Hopeful

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been so long since i've written for this series and i was missing it! Plus, i left it on such a angsty note, so i wanted to do just a little fluffy something for it. It's the morning after the last chapter, that's why i put it here and not in a new fic. I hope you enjoy it :)

Alec knew he must’ve fallen asleep at some point, but it didn’t feel like much, especially since he found himself once again staring, almost unblinking, at Jace’s sleeping form. Daylight, however, had brought some respite to the tangle of worry in him. For some reason, things that at night had felt hopeless seemed at least _feasible_ now.  

Therefore, the way he was looking at Jace right then was not entirely out of fear; the rays of light entering from the window had basked his parabatai in a glow that only made his sharp and beautiful lineaments stand out, and Alec was enthralled. He could only caress with a reverent, feather-touch the soft skin on Jace’s face, shivers sparking in his fingers from the contact.   

“Are you staring at me?”

Jace’s groggy voice didn’t make Alec jump, it only caused him to break out into a smile.

“Yes,” Alec admitted simply. Gone were the days when that wasn’t allowed, and he’d have to feel ashamed or embarrassed by it.

Jace opened his colorful eyes, which Alec could swear were positively _shining_ , and he smiled, too. Alec was loving that day already, especially since Jace immediately leaned in for a kiss. Their morning breath only made them laugh.

When they hugged, their bodies still shaking, Alec realized that he truly could only feel _hope_ in the bond.

He broke apart to better look at Jace, “Feeling more optimistic this morning?”

Jace kissed him on the cheek. “Yeah. All thanks to you.”

“I – I didn’t really do much…”

“You were there,” Jace cupped Alec’s face with his hand, “and that was everything. Don’t ever think otherwise.”

Alec kissed him then, drowning any stubborn negativity that was already resurfacing in him in the feel of Jace’s lips.

“I love you,” he whispered against his skin, and Jace only kissed him harder.

Until he broke away. “We _should_ probably wash our teeth so that we can continue this conversation better, you know?” Jace put in suggestively, his hand already tracing the side of Alec’s body.

Alec shivered, before he chuckled, “Yeah, probably.”

Anticipation sizzling between them, they were about to get up…when a knock came on the door.

Freezing, Alec’s heart almost stopped, and he shared a mutual look of horror with Jace.

 _Did we put the runes on the door?_ he mouthed to him.

Jace shook his head.

“Jace, it’s your grandmother. May I speak to you?” came the voice from outside.

They shot out of the bed as quickly and silently as they could, as Jace called back, “Yes, one moment…I – I’m not dressed.”

They were putting on clothes at the speed of light, when Jace turned towards Alec with an apologetic look. He pointed at the bed.

Alec took one second to figure out what he meant.

Just _great_.

 _Sorry, I’m sorry_ , Jace mouthed back to him.

Alec refrained himself from letting out a sigh of exasperation, and, after checking he had everything with him, he climbed under the bed.

It was a tight fit, to say the least, and hard to breath while constricted between a hard place and layers of dust. The only grace was that his feet didn’t stick out at the end.

It would’ve been _funny_ , if the situation wasn’t as dire as it was; but maybe later they could laugh about it.

In the meantime, he heard Jace get to the door and open it.

“Madam Inquisitor, good morning,” he greeted his grandmother, who did the same. “Was there something you wanted to talk about?”

“I simply wanted to see how you were…faring, after everything that has happened.”

“Oh.”

Alec knew Jace was genuinely surprised. He would’ve never expected it, since he wasn’t _used_ to an actual family member caring for him. Alec just wished he could’ve been there with him, too. He knew it was pointless thinking of the what-ifs…but in another life, would the Inquisitor approve of their relationship? Alec hated not being able to know, or share his love with neither his family or Jace’s.

“Do you mind going for a walk?” The Inquisitor suggested, and Jace agreed, still clearly hesitant on how to behave in that situation.

A moment later, the door closed. Alec let out a sigh, even though it would’ve been better if he didn’t, since dust exploded around him, and he was caught in a fit of coughing.

After making sure no one was coming back, Alec finally got out.

Well, that day surely had started out with a bang.

Alec still refused to be let down, and he went out to get to his office, where he could start searching for something that would help Jace.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder that this series isn't finished, it's just on hold since i need to focus on other projects first. But something will come eventually!

**Author's Note:**

> Good? Bad?


End file.
